House Spider
by CasuallyPosting
Summary: Brian never expected his life to be anything special during high school, but after a run in with everyone's favorite group of vigilante heroes brought him a bit of excitement, things barely seemed to slow down. What with him becoming more friendly with other heroes, learning more of his family heritage and the deadly assassin that moved in next door... God Murphy's Law hates him...
1. Prologue

Brian's life wasn't overly exciting for a 17-year old boy and he didn't seem like anything special to anyone unfamiliar with his family and their… special heritage.

You see, Brian may seem like your average teenager, with a loving mother and a cute, yet annoying little brother named Timmy… but that is just what it seemed like on the surface.

Of course, no one would notice the oddly large extended family that would come and visit the trio's home throughout the year. Many being ex-military and from different nationalities.

It wouldn't seem strange to anyone unless you studied up on each of the people and realized that most of them at one time or still do hold powerful positions in the world.

Brian and Timmy's father might not be in the picture, but a slew of different Uncles and Aunts tried their hardest to make sure that their nephews were well taken care of.

And you might think to yourself that this information isn't that big or important, and you would be correct.

That is, until a month ago…

 _Flashback One Month Ago_

The sounds of gunshots echoed through the large room that used to be a peaceful exhibit in the local museum.

Now glass shards littered the floor and anyone on looking the scene would see a large gorilla wearing advanced armor doing battle with a man shrouded in black mist with twin shotguns.

Across the way another strangely dressed woman took cover behind a plaque of some famous event, holding two strange pistol-like weapons and taking a peak out to examine the area every few seconds.

Her eyes were wide, in apparent worry towards the ongoing conflict between the two strange juggernauts. If her disheveled hair or dirty jacket were any indication, she had been involved in the skirmish too.

While the trio of combatants were focused on each other, behind another destroyed exhibit crouched two young boys.

The younger of the two wore bright colored clothes and one of his arms wrapped protectively In a green cast. His eyes were locked on the battle between heroes and villains that, to him, jumped straight out of one of his comic books.

The other boy, one with shaggy brown hair and a blue hoodie-jacket on was much more observant of his surroundings.

After being saved by the large primate earlier, he pulled his little brother behind the ruined display and was hoping to wait out the madness. But now it seemed that was not an option.

A little distance away from both where the brothers were hiding and the fight was going on, a blue skinned woman with a large gun and form fitting suit was working her way towards the most impressive of the exhibits, one of the reasons the two boys had even ventured this far to the museum in the first place.

The gauntlet of Doomfist, one of the disbanded hero group, Overwatch's, greatest foes.

The boy, thinking fast, deduced that they must have come to the museum to steal the gauntlet for their own reasons. And, seeing as the two, former, Overwatch agents looked to be focused on their ghost-man, he had to do something drastic.

He turned to his brother and pulled him close.

With a hushed voice, he motioned to their current position and spoke.

"Stay here, I'll be back."

With that the younger sibling watched with an open mouth as his brother slowly worked his way towards the shattered glass that held one of the most dangerous weapons in the world.

His movements did not catch the attention of any other occupant, including Dave, the slacking security guard, and soon he was positioned directly behind the once powerful exhibit.

Catching his breath, he looked briefly over his shoulder and saw the sniper near him focusing on the battle once more. One deft movement later he held the displaced metal fist in his arms and was silently gasping in a mix of adrenaline and fear.

The sniper might not have noticed the movement, but when she turned back around to see the object of her mission no longer where she last saw it, her anger and suspicion grew.

She looked around the immediate area, but saw nothing that would help her search.

On the opposite side to her, the boy was nervous, yet oddly at ease with the large gauntlet in his possession.

"Looks like I'm the only one between the blueberry and her objective…" he muttered quietly to himself as he saw the probable-assassin searching away from him.

With a sigh, he slid the heavy weapon onto his own, much smaller hand.

A slight shifting of the metal made nearly no noise, but the voice that came after did.

The boy felt a small pinch and yelped as a bit of his blood oozed into the inner mechanisms of the gauntlet.

"DNA ANALYSIS COMPLETE, PATTERN MATCH. PASSWORD…" the fist spoke in a very mechanized voice after running the small test.

The boy didn't seem shocked at the words coming from the machine, but instead whispered something about his Uncle and Grandfather before speaking clearly again.

"… Family Fist."

A loud sound emanated from the weapon as a blue light seeped form the cracks, as if drawing power from itself.

"PASSWORD ACCEPTED. GREETINGS NEW GENERATION." The gauntlet spoke in the same tone.

"Yeah hi…" the boy responded weakly. "Wow, they really did leave the password the same. Mom is going to kill me…"

His musings about deaths at the hand of his mother were cut off at the root by his little brother's voice.

"Lookout!"

His breath hitched as he heard the sniper who was apparently approaching his position turned sharply with a visor on and spotted the younger boy.

He acted on pure instinct, and what followed was ingrained in the memories of all present that day… except Dave.

"HEY!" the much more developed voice called and again the sniper-woman turned around, but this time instead of a small, defenseless child, she was met with the reared back fist of the older boy.

The two locked gazes with each other for just a brief moment, but in that moment two thoughts were conveyed between the duo of unlikely opponents.

The assassin's gaze portrayed a simple message.

'I will remember your face…'

While the boy… well

'Female attention is overrated… Mom was right again…'

And with their thought given, a large shockwave shook the area following a massive left hook given to the blue lady.

She was sent flying and the gauntlet wielding boy shot in the other direction, the weapon detaching from his arm in the process.

With the distraction laid, the battle soon finished with three of the combatants escaping through the shattered roof they had appeared from.

The woman in the strange jumper approached the downed teen and the smaller child who had since come to his brother's side.

No words were shared between the trio as the teen handed the woman the deactivated gauntlet and shared a look with her.

After the silence prevailed for a moment, the woman broke out into a beaming smile.

"The world could always use more heroes!' she said before rushing off to follow her apparent teammates.

 _End Flashback_

That was a month ago, and as many of you either already knew or put together, the teen in the battle was Brian.

His younger brother Timmy had badgered him constantly about the events and how his brother was going to grow up to join Overwatch with Miss Tracer. The conversation never ended.

His mother was indeed not happy about his use of the Doomfist, but that is a story for another day.

For now, we join young Brian as he walks the short distance from his family's home to one just down the road.

According to his mother, a single woman had moved in next to them and to welcome her to the neighborhood, she had made her a rum cake.

Brian, being the eldest, was tasked with taking the cake to said woman and was none too thrilled or put off by it.

"Go give our new neighbor a house warming gift huh?" he said, imitating his mother's voice to the best of his ability.

With a shrug of his shoulders he walked up the small steps and settled before the door on the rather bland porch.

"Maybe it will be a cute girl… pft" he scoffed and rang the doorbell.

After the bell faded he heard what sounded like a woman yelling something inside the house.

"ARG! I 'ave one day off a year!" the yelling got closer to his position.

'It's a woman at least, but was that French?' he wondered as the lock was undone and the door flew open.

The sight that greeted his eyes was one of a very angry, yet attractive woman. She was clearly dressed for comfort, as her clothing was a simple top and short-shorts with her hair up in a lazy ponytail.

That was however not what had his attention.

"Wat zee HELL DO YOU WANT?!" she yelled to his face.

A moment passed and she pulled closer to the wide-eyed boy. Her eyes widening slightly as she did so.

"Wait a minute…" she slowly said as her eyes filled with recognition.

Her musings were halted completely as a large metal plate with a cover were shoved into her open arms.

"HI! Welcome to the neighborhood! Have a cake!" Brian shot out quickly and before startled woman could respond he had already slammed the door and turned on his heels.

Who would have thought his new neighbor would already have him so blue?


	2. Don't Deliver Sweets

**(A/N) As someone, who because they are a guest, thankfully brought up... yes this is a story based off of the comic strip done by the wonderful oobidoobi over on DeviantArt. I forgot to add that disclaimer in the prologue chapter, as I did upload this as a word file versus the version I put up DA being an edited version with a description that linked to not only the original comic, but also the cover art I am using from Blade-Fury!**

 **For those of you wondering why I am ripping off oob's idea, I am not. I have permission from and frequently talk to him about the comic and my ideas for the future of this story. He follows me on DA and gives me criticism each time I post the story over on my DA page.**

 **I should have had the hindsight to make sure the credit was posted here and not just on DA, but thanks for pointing it out none the less!**

* * *

Why did everything have to conspire against him as of late?

All he wanted to do was get through his boring, average high school life and then move onto to a hopefully successful college education to prepare for his future. A future in what? Well he wasn't exactly sure yet.

But after all of that drama concerning the recently reformed, renegade Overwatch and the terrorist organization Talon, that he was involved in, his life had become much more hectic.

His mother hadn't taken the news that her children were right in the middle of a terrorist attack well and his little brother was now treating him as if he was a member of Overwatch. A hero that should be praised by everyone.

He was used to being adored by Timmy, but the sheer amount of time his little brother spent talking to him about the latest hero news or talking about how cool his friends thought Brian was… that was something he could never get used to.

Thankfully he managed to keep the fact he used the Doomfist to get the better of a world-renowned assassin between the two of them. Apparently, the security cameras didn't get much footage after Reaper started wildly shooting his shotguns around.

After months of his life being abruptly injected with, things were finally slowing down as the first semester of his final year of high school was coming to an end.

His hopes going into the weekend was just for a peaceful and relaxing few days so he could go over his notes for finals and play the new game he had purchased last week.

So why? Why on Earth was he powerwalking away from his neighbor's house?

Simple answer, he wasn't very comfortable having a face-to-face conversation with the same sniper that he had punched in the face with one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet less than a month ago.

With the cake his mother had asked him to deliver to their new, now disclosed assassin, neighbor, he had no reasons to press his luck and risk her recognizing him from their previous encounter.

'Well, I guess I'm locking myself in my room now. Maybe forever.' The young teenager thought to himself as neared the unlocked door to safety.

What he didn't expect was the distinct noise of coiled, metal wire shooting out from where he last held the cake.

Not a second later he regretted not paying more attention and a three-pronged hook ripped through the hood of his signature blue hoodie. Causing him to release a small whimper as he knew what was coming next.

His body was firmly tugged backwards and into the open arms of Talon's best shooter. Her arm snugly fit under his neck and rested his head directly against her chest, where he would have the least successful chance of escape due to his short stature.

He weakly held onto the loose hook and wire that was still pierced through the hood of his jacket and looked up at the clearly confused and tired woman.

She didn't seem to be overly hostile and even removed the hook gently. With that, the headlock morphed into more of a slightly firmer than usual arm over his shoulder as she rubbed her eyes.

"Okay… 'oo zee 'ell are you?" she questioned with her ever present French accent shining through.

" _-hf_. Your neighbor!" Brian spat out as her grip loosened and he could catch his breath that had just caught up with him.

Her body relaxed a little as she stared down at him.

"Name, boy?" her tone left no room for anything but a straight answer.

"Bill."

"You live?" another simple question to work around.

"Down the street."

"And I am awake for…?"

"My mom wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood with one of her rum cakes." There, that one wasn't a lie.

She leaned down and looked him over.

"… 'ave we met before? You zeem fameeliar zomehow?"

"Nope! Absolutely not!" Brian said with authority and crossed his arms in an X pattern to emphasize his point.

At this the drowsiness in her eyes vanished and a rather irked glint replaced them. A small smirk formed on her face as her arm snaked back around his front, reworking itself to a point where her elbow rested on one shoulder and her hand draped across the other.

Her other hand gently placed itself against his head. As if it was playing with his hair, while also holding him in place.

Their eyes met at an awkward angle, but they both knew the little charade he was playing was out the window at this point.

"Deed you really 'zink I wouldn't recognize you my leetle friend?" She said in a voice that oozed fake sweetness and animosity with a side of promised pain in the near future.

The teenager in her grip was sweating and didn't make any verbal response.

"Any last words, leetle boy?"

With a shaky arm, he reached out while nervously speaking.

"U-uh… well…"

Finally, with a grip on his objective, he pulled the simply decorated cake his mother had made to himself. It was white with red icing on the sides and spelling out welcome in big letters in the center.

"Erm… Welcome to the neighborhood?" his response was innocent enough, but the deadly, blue woman did not seem impressed.

"Zat eet?"

With a look of pure panic, he used his hand to slam the cake into the woman's face. This caused her to release him from the headlock and recoil in shock.

He didn't waste any time and stepped outside of her reach, grabbing the door with his left hand.

The sniper had cake covering her face and dripping down her body. A look of pure rage and shaking hands ready to strangle the teen.

" **You."**

Brian took one look at her before slamming the door once more, ignoring her carious insults and began a hastier retreat to his base of operations.

"Well it was a good life!" He cried out as he sprinted down the sidewalk, away from imminent danger.

He rushed through the door, ignoring everything else after locking the door. He took the stairs two at a time and jumped through the open doorway of his room as if a shot was going to be taken at him.

He used his leg and kicked the door closed before rolling under his bed.

Of course, it was all necessary!

 _ **One Week Later**_

The final week of school had passed without incident, not due to Brian's lack of paranoia whenever he stepped out of his house in the morning or returned in the afternoon.

Other than one instance of feeling he was being watched, he had finished the first semester with good grades and was ready to relax.

He made it home easily enough and got everything put away before walking down to see a note from his mother and a plate of neatly wrapped cookies.

"Dear Brian,

I made these cookies for Emily but forgot that I had to take Timmy to that boy scout camp this weekend. Please take them over there once you get home. Food is in the fridge for you if you end up staying home and not hanging out over there with Em or with your friends.

Love, Mom."

Brian read the note in his hand with a bored look on his face and when he finished it, he set it back down and sighed.

"I love you mom, but clearly it's not mutual…" he said before grabbing the plate and heading over to the door.

He poked his head out and gave the exterior of the home a quick glance over.

"Seems safe… Well at least I know Miss Emily won't try and… and…" he stopped himself with a stupid expression on his face.

" **Wait,** screw you Murphy. You're not getting me twice in one week. I remember she said her girlfriend is in town AND she brought friends. A lot could happen!"

His mood thoroughly soured through his own musings, he walked the short distance to his already present neighbor's home and rang the doorbell.

A flurry of voices sounded out from inside. All distinctly female.

"Someone's at the door luv!" A very clearly British woman yelled out.

"Gah, can you get that Miss Song? I have my hands full." That one Brian recognized.

"On it!" another accented voice said, this one much closer than the other two.

Brian meanwhile stood outside, with a confused expression on his face.

'Is she having a party? Maybe I picked the wrong time to come and knock' he wondered to himself.

The door was soon opened, but while he knew Emily would not be answering the door, he was not expecting the person who did end up doing the deed.

"Hello! How may D. Va help?" In the doorway stood former pro-gamer extraordinaire turned hero, Hana Song.

He restrained the urge to sigh and curse Murphy again, and yet he found himself mumbling something out loud by accident.

"... Of course, you're the guest." Clearly, it hadn't been low enough, since she still heard it. Obviously. Women must have radars for ears, or something.

"Oh?" The famous personality leaned forward, and (un)luckily for Brian, this specific tank top had a very high cur top, showing off a lot of her body. Her face held a small, happy (if not smug) smile that she always tended to have when dealing with fans.

At least he was happy that much hadn't changed about her.

You see, during his first year of high school, Brian wasn't much for socializing. He and his closest friends tended to bond more over going to see movies and playing video games online. Meaning many chances to meet people online…

"Are you a fan of D. Va~?" That was one way to put it, even in her smug, singsong voice.

He was tempted to pull something like he did with Widowmaker and just shove the cookies into her arms, because he knew that this conversation would either go really well… Or he would end up hoping said assassin would end it early.

"Eheh… Sort of?" He couldn't say that he wasn't. That would be a bold-faced lie. "I never did get to congratulate you on that first championship."

"… Hm?" He knew the wording would confuse her, but he decided the admittedly adorable face she was making was worth the vagueness.

No matter how badly he wanted to laugh, he couldn't ruin his straight face.

"But I reigned for three years…?" Fair and true. Soon after some… circumstances caused the pair to lose contact, D. Va essentially became the 'Goddess of Gaming' for three years before joining M.E.K.A.

He couldn't help himself matching his posture to his facial expression by leaning back slightly, shoulders slack as he waved a finger at her in an accusing motion.

"Case and point. Three years and not a single opponent bothered to rip your ass apart with a Cruiser-Drop."

His words broke through the smug façade the young woman was putting on and made her sputter around for a response. It was clear she was trying to make sense of what she had just heard, since it had come essentially out of nowhere during the middle of their conversation.

The language wasn't the issue, considering any gamer worth their controller would never so much as flinch at such a thing. He expected she was trying to digest the hint he just dropped, or at least that is what he hoped she was doing…

Her sputtering and miscellaneous noises of surprise quickly ended as she attempted to get back on the rails of the conversation. Maybe he'd had been too blunt going about it? His mother had mentioned before that boys rare appreciated subtly 'as they should.'

His attention was drawn back to the Korean girl before him as her eyes narrowed slightly, stumbling over a quiet "W-wait..." Finally, she leaned in further, eyes widening slightly- Ah, so she DID get his hint!

"Void Fist?" He won't lie, it almost hurt to hear the amount of... hope? Or at least what he thought was hope mixed with bewilderment in the question.

Of course, the possible pain that would follow the revelation would probably quickly overshadow any discomfort her tone gave him. Pain probably deserved, but hindsight does that to people.

Void Fist, without the space online, was his gamer tag back in his StarCraft II days, and still most of his games today. But of course, after playing at a high level for nearly a year he discovered that most of his competition… quite frankly sucked.

He heard all the general stereotypes about Korean gamers during this time and found himself drawn to those servers. He was pleasantly surprised when he found the players over there challenging.

Among those challengers, he found a mutual partner, and later friend, of growth who went on to make a legendary career beyond what he would ever achieve. However, he always held one crucial weakness to her masterful strategy when they would play.

Regardless of how amazing she was at both micro and macro-managing in the game, a tactic they dubbed the 'Cruiser-Drop' could always deal heavy blows to her game plan. Said strategy never escaped between the two friends and being as competitive as she was/is, it always drove her crazy.

He had dropped the rather obvious hint to his old friend, but now that she had actually called him out on it, he was nervous about what to say next.

He leaned away from her face and the finger poking the center of his chest and chuckled nervously. His voice ended up coming out much quieter then he had meant it to.

"Eheh… hi …" he weakly let out as he could feel the cold sweat eager to cover his skin despite his smile that he kept up while her wide eyes stared blankly into his own.

He was not prepared for her to close the distance between them and grabbed his hoodie in a vice-grip. Her face morphed from confused and shocked to a bizarre fusion of glee and anger, and boy was that a scary sight.

He knew at this moment that Murphy had caught him off-guard once again.

His situation was only emphasized by the girl's broken and emotionally charged, broken English that she yelled out while forgoing any sense of personal space and dragging Brian into the house with sheer force.

"You! In! **IN!** "

Brian could only silently curse his mother and hope to the gods above that Miss Emily would somehow be able to help him out of this mess.

The door slammed behind the Korean celebrity and her victim, and as it did, only one person was left outside. Standing just behind where the door was covering just seconds before, frozen in surprise and shock, yet still holding an oddly suspicious garrote firmly in her grip.

"... Not ze' complication I 'ad anticipated." Widowmaker said. Her voice was the closest thing to uneven it had been in quite a while.


	3. An Unlikely Reunion

**A/N's will now be posted at the end of new chapters unless it is an urgent update.**

* * *

'Curse you and everything you stand for Murphy…' Brian though as he was dragged by his hoodie into the familiar entryway of his neighbor's house by a fuming Korean.

The duo didn't even make it to the end of the hall before he found himself shoved rather roughly into one of the walls. A startled expression on his face as one of the hands that previously shoved him grabbed a fist full of his hoodie again.

"Where were you?!" D. Va exclaimed, still conflicted between being incredibly upset, angry or happy at the current situation.

Wide-eyed, Brian had no time to respond as the taller woman brought her face right up against his, glaring directly into his eyes.

"You just disappeared! I thought you were only going to miss a day's worth of games, but I had to ditch on 2v2s because I had no partner!" Her look portrayed just how unhappy she was at him.

She released her death grip on his jacket and backed up. Her angry look fading into one of mock sadness as her eyes teared up in the corners.

She placed one hand over her heart. "I-I thought you had died!"

The sweat building up on the pinned boy doubled as he heard this, but he knew better than to fall for such a simple trick.

"Hey-hey! That's an abuse of your acting skills!" his reply came out, which only made her pout in response.

Her face red, she continued her, partially, angry tirade.

"I was still worried you idiot!"

"I-I'm sorry…" He said meekly and raised his hand in a placating gesture to his old friend.

"Why did my only close gaming friend disappear then!?"

At this question Brian's shoulders sagged a little more and he looked away from Hana's eyes. Hana noticed this and lost what little bit of her anger was still around.

"That… About half-an-hour after our last game, some asshole thought our house would be easy pickings… One of the things stolen was our gaming rig. And then…" he trailed off.

The look of sadness on his face morphed into one that looked like a horrible mixture of pain and anger.

"Then… it turns out that my useless bum of an ex-step father gambled away most of the money we had saved up. By the time we got back onto our feet, Mom and I were focusing on my college experience anyways…"

A small noise escaped the pro gamer's mouth, but Brian continued, his expression softening into a melancholy smile.

"Besides, by the time I could play again, I was so rusty I would have been useless and you were no doubt way too busy to respond to little ol' me."

"A-ah… that…" she raised a shaky hand to reach out for him.

"You had a lot going on at the time too Hana."

"No…?" even her response wasn't sure of what she wanted to do.

Luckily, for , another voice broke up their tense conversation.

It was light and carried a very warm tone, one that bot other occupants were used to by now.

"Sounds kind of farfetched, but he's telling the truth. Sadly. Hi, Brian." Emily said, standing at the end of the entryway. A small, comforting smile on her freckled face.

Brian just turned halfway towards her.

"Hey, Miss Emily."

Her eyes glanced over his form before hitching onto the plate of cookies under his arm.

"Snickerdoodles?" she asked with hope spilling out of every syllable.

He nodded. "Snickerdoodles."

Meanwhile, Hana was playing with her fingers and quietly apologizing, not that wither of the others noticed.

The trio walked a few short steps into the main living area. A cozy room with a couch, a few chairs, a TV and other typical things you would find in the standard home.

It was connected directly to the kitchen, where Emily was leading him to.

"Yesss~ Your mom's cookies are amazing!" the red-head sang as she took the plate and moved them to the counter.

Brian sighed. "Her ego is full aware."

His neighbor giggled lightly at his typical behavior, before turning back around to face him and the still shaken D. Va.

The room was silent for all of five seconds before an unfamiliar noise entered the young man's ear and a new weight was pulling him slightly forward and against something soft.

He grunts as the motion stops and looks up to see part of a woman's face.

"So, you're the infamous' Little Brian'?" a slightly over-the-top Cockney accent said while holding him in a friendly headlock and looking down at him.

After the forward momentum stopped, they both paused. The new arrival to the conversation reached down and grabbed both of his cheeks, pushing him back and inspecting his face.

Each of them were surprised to find out they had met previously as the mystery 'attacker' turned out to be Lina Oxton, famously known by her hero name, Tracer.

"Wait you're Brian?!"

"You're Miss Emily's girlfriend?!" they both asked simultaneously. Neither noticing the confused D. Va in behind them or the slightly surprised Emily next to them.

It didn't take long for Tracer to let go of her catch and smile down at him.

"So, you're the one that had a lil' crush on Em, hmm?" the Brit asked causing Emily to breakout into a fit of giggles as Brian's face lit up with a fierce blush and Hana seemed shocked.

All of the shock that flooded the boy's system soon turned into ire as he glared at the apparent object of his past affection.

" **You.** "

His dark glare was met with more giggles from both women.

"That was an arts and crafts school project like six years ago! The teacher told us to give it someone you like!" his explanation did nothing to stop the giggles of the woman he was now pointing an accusing finger at.

He made a slight gesture towards her again and glanced at Tracer. "And then this witch tricked me."

That comment got Emily to stop giggling and instead level a gaze down at the shortest occupant of her home.

Her hands balled and landed on her hips. "Wha-Hey! What do you mean 'tricked'?!"

At this Brian turned to Tracer, who was holding in her laughter, and pointed back at his neighbor.

"Quick! Run while you can! The beauty is a trap!" he cried out and was going to run until the sleeve-covered arm of Emily wrapped around his neck and brought him flush against her body.

"Stop feeding her lies!" the redhead yelled and started giving Brian a thorough noogie.

Both parties not involved in the altercation were watching the pair wrestle around against each other with smiles. It was clear that the two were comfortable being physical with each other as typical siblings would be.

Hana was giggling into her hand and Tracer was tearing up as she held in her laughter, until she could no longer hold it anymore.

She let out her laugh and once more zipped across the short distance to the feuding duo. She threw her arms around the two and brought them closer to her.

One arm securely wrapped around the back of her girlfriend and settled on her side, the other snapped across Brian's neck and over Emily's stomach as the hold forced them all into closer proximity.

Emily lost her faux-angry expression and allowed a happy smile to form as Lena pressed her head against hers.

Brian on the other hand was not comfortable with his current situation. Both women were resting their heads directly on top of his as they hugged and Tracer freely laughed.

The blush that once again adorned his face made D. Va fall over and roll around on the floor trying to stop her laughter.

"It's like you have a lil' brotha!" Tracer said happily. All the while not paying any head to Brian's attempts to escape from her surprise hug.

After a few moments of the 'family bonding' hug, Brian finally managed to snake his way out and bat the sneaky hand of Tracer away as she tried to bring him back in.

"Speaking of traps… Miss Tracer?" he said while fighting his blush down and getting another laugh out of the hero.

Her laugh died and she smiled at the shorter boy. "Just call me Lena love. Any family of Em is mine too!"

Emily just smiled and continued to hold Lena as Brian looked a little warier.

"Anyways, you remember that blueberry we made 'friends' with?"

The mention of the 'blueberry' as Brian put it shocked Lena. She pulled away from her girlfriend and placed her hands against her hips.

"Widowmaker? Yeah, I remember her, why?"

That name caught the other two occupant's attention too. Hana having faced off against the Talon sharpshooter was surprised to hear that Brian knew who she was, but kept a calm face.

The opposite could be said for Emily, as she started freaking out.

"Wha- Her?! Why does Brian know her?!" apparently neither Brian or Lena had informed her about their prior meeting a month ago.

"Yeah. Turns out she moved in next door, and she loves rum-cake." He said the last part with a small smirk.

What he didn't know, was that from the roof of her home, Widowmaker sat in full assassin garb with her equipment out, listening in on their conversations.

Her passive face changed the moment she heard what Brian said.

"Zeb oi dies… A shame. I actually liked this neighborhood." The sniper said before she jumped and peeled the headphones off of her ears after a shriek of "WHAT?!" entered the device.

Back inside, Brian had just described the events of his reunion with the assassin after she moved in. Emily did not take the news that he was almost killed well.

"Oh, calm down Miss Emily. I turn 18 next week and you know how I am with danger." His words did nothing to calm the redhead as she latched onto his arm, that was previously waving off her worries.

Her eyes frantically roamed over his body and her other hand ran through his hair. She was inspecting him to make sure that his body was not harmed… despite the encounter happening nearly a week prior.

"But she's an assassin not a stalker! What would your mother think if you told her this?!" her overprotective side was out in full force as she fretted over him. She even felt his forehead to see if he had a temperature.

"I'm not sick Miss Emily… anyways, Timmy already ratted me out to Mom after I told him…" a fact he was clearly none too happy about.

Stood behind the pair with her gun out. Squinting out the window towards where she guessed Brian's house was located.

"She'd best behave…"

Hana silently walked up and tapped Brian on the shoulder. Getting his attention away from the still frantic former-babysitter looking him over.

"You're actually 17?" D. Va asked. She seemed a little surprised by this tidbit, as she figured he was at least three years younger than her.

He nodded, not upset with her question, as he got it quite often. "Yeah, I'm just short." He joked.

While they had their little conversation, Emily had finished her inspection and released a sigh she had held within.

"You seem fine… So! Is Hana your little 'friend' that you insisted on 'checking' on every time you stayed here? Hm~?" her voice swapped easily from concerned to teasing in an instant. The smirk on her face clearly showed her intentions, but D. Va fell first and made a squeaking sound as her face became crimson.

Brian's blush was less obvious as he turned to glare at his neighbor.

"… So that's how you want to play this, eh?" he asked, and was met with the smirking face moving closer as she laughed. "Well then!"

He smiled, something that was not close to his usual one, and looked over to Tracer.

"I'm glad I finally got to meet the star of that little album you always try to sneak with you when you take your 'bathroom breaks'~" he sang.

The effects were instantaneous. Emily sputtered and turned redder than D. Va was moments ago while Tracer and D. Va just looked confused.

"I-I- What do you mean-?!" the freckled beauty tried to dig her way out, but the all to adorable look on Brian's face was putting her in an uncomfortable place.

"Orange. Blue ink. Titled 'DAT ASS.' Left cupboard. Sock drawer, left side."

With her fate sealed, Emily just started shaking in embarrassment. That is, until she heard giggles from behind her.

Taking a glance, she saw that Lena most assuredly got what Brian was implying, since she was laughing, blushing and looked to be glowing. This worried Emily as her girlfriend blinked towards her with her powers and wrestled her to the ground.

With his work done, Brian grabbed Hana's hand and started to drag her to the door. Completely ignoring Lena's giggles and Emily yelling that he was going to get it later.

"Good… now let's book it before either of them realize I have seen Tracer in the nude…" he whispered as the exited the home.

D. Va just followed along with a confused face. "Wait… what?"

"Look, we just need to bail. We should leave them be for now… They'll eventually end up 'in the mood'."

That got her attention as she lightly glared at the boy.

"And how do you know that?"

Her response was a sigh from the boy and a light blush forming once more. Man, he was doing a lot of that today.

"A drunk Emily does not know the meaning of 'Shut Up'. Especially when she has a captive audience that can understand her ramblings…" he could still remember the last time…

With that said, he closed the door behind them and turned to march back to his house. It was then he noticed Hana shivering from the freezing weather, as she was only wearing short-shorts and a thin tank top in the middle of winter.

"Oh crap! I forgot how cold it was, sorry. Mmph – here." He said, removing his signature hoodie and handing it to the girl. Also revealing that he was still more equipped for the temperature with a form-fitting, long sleeve t-shirt.

Something that Hana was all too quick to take in with her roaming eyes as she meekly took the jacket, with a small thank you and light blush.

"I completely forgot you weren't dressed for the weather. I just wanted to escape more mental trauma that was sure to come from staying in there."

As the Korean girl started to put on his jacket, he caught himself staring at her body and looked away. Another light blush dusting his cheeks as he scratched his chin.

"Erm… I-uh… *cough* C'mon, I am sure my Mom will have a better substitute."

"Yeah, okay! It is a little tight, but- A-ah… That shirt?" the gamer responded as she turned to follow him across the lawn.

Brian looked back to her with a raised eyebrow before looking down at his remaining apparel. Eyes widened when he realized that this specific shirt had a large logo that represented the exact female he was talking to in the gaming world.

"Oh. Forgot I wore this shirt today… Awkward." He shrugged and kept up his pace towards the house next door.

The silence was thick and waiting for someone, namely him, to cut through it.

"… What? You thought I wouldn't cheer you on, even if I wasn't helping you ruin some tryhard's day? Fat chance. And it wasn't cheap either." His rant ended once they reached the front door to his home.

Whilst fishing for his keys he was grabbed from behind. He started to panic, thinking Widowmaker had made another move to take him out, before the arms encompassed him and brought him into a tight hug.

"Thank you! I am so glad you still supported me!" she said while clutching onto his smaller frame.

"O-of course…" was his quiet response.

Meanwhile, back across the way on the rooftops, a certain blue-skinned woman sat listening to the current happenings within Emily's home.

Her eyes were no longer laser focused as if stalking her prey, now they were wide with confusion and wonder as she listened to Lena and Emily clearly getting into what Brian referred to as 'the mood.'

"… Well. 'Zat escalated quickly." She said, but made no move to stop listening.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading this chapter of House Spider!**

 **As always, you can find the original comic that the story up to this point, with a few changes, is based on over on my friend Danny's DeviantArt page (oobidoobi). Be sure to check it out!**

 **That being said, this chapter will be the last to exclusively follow the comic strips, as I have just about caught up with the current pages and after discussing things with Danny, or stories will be different in many areas. Not to say future chapters will not tie back in with his comic, but for now you will see less of a direct influence and more of my original content.**

 **There is a scene I cut out of the story that is in the comic, for a reason that will be discussed more in the future. I hope you all enjoyed the update and please leave a review and follow/favorite the story! Whenever I see people interacting with the story in so many different ways I get inspired to write faster.**

 **If you leave a review I can guarantee that I will respond to you if it is not just a statement comment. Such as the Guest who asked for more, which I still appreciate! I hope you will keep coming back to read the future installments.**

 **I also think I failed to mention this in the last update, but I will be updating this story every Monday, barring something keeping me from that deadline. So keep your eyes out for that!**

 ** _Next Chapter: August 7th, 2017_ **


	4. Awkward Situations

**Sorry for the slightly late upload, I was busy most of today! Enjoy and please R &R after you read!**

* * *

"Mom and my little brother are both out of town for the time being, so… do you want a better jacket? Maybe something to drink?" Brian asked Hana as they walked into his home.

Gesturing towards the kitchen he looked back and saw the Korean star scratching her cheek and avoiding eye contact.

"No, the jackets fine, but…" her voice trailed off before she mumbled something into the collar of her borrowed clothing.

The teen in front of her just raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior and turned his full attention onto her.

"You know, mumbling isn't going to help me understand what you want to do… so just answer me. Face to face." His tone was playful, but there was no doubt he was tired from the previous antagonizing he had received from next door.

She just shook her head and grabbed his hand. The sudden movement surprising Brian as his recently reacquainted friend dragged him behind her over to the couch.

The pair sat down and D. Va pushed past her uncomfortable demeanor to look directly at Brian.

"Now that we are alone… I just really want to catch up with you. Maybe we can play some video games? It has been ages since we played together!"

The excitement was clear in her voice as she pointed to the gaming console attached to the TV across from them and was nearly vibrating in place.

He chuckled. "Um… sure. Fair warning, I haven't had a lot of time to play video games in the past few month, so I might be a little rusty."

That spiel wasn't going to work on the professional in front of him though. She just laughed and lightly hit his arm.

"No excuses Void. Now go get us a pair of controllers so I can pay you back for ditching me!"

With his reasons being denied, he did as he was asked. Grabbing the two wireless controllers, he handed her one of them and fired up the console.

The game they both decided on was just the newest installment of the popular first-person shooter that Timmy got for his birthday. It wasn't supposed to be anything special, but it was a way for them to pass a conversation back and forth while playing.

That is until Brian scored his first headshot.

From there it became an intense competition between Brian, who was keeping his distance using a combination of sniping and cover fire, and Hana, who was staying close to the walls and trying to light him up with a machine gun.

This continued for several minutes, the light conversation having ground to a halt once angry Korean began flying out of Hana's mouth each time Brian managed to one-up her.

Following a missed grenade on D. Va's part, she gnashed her teeth and addressed her companion.

"I thought you said you were rusty!"

Brian just smirked as he ducked out of a window and avoided a full clip being unloaded into his avatar.

"At Starcraft? Definitely." He responded as she just growled and jabbed a finger in his direction as they tried to maneuver into more advantageous positions in the map.

"You're still five kills ahead!"

"Well then maybe you're the one getting rust-"his response was cut off by a glare that could math even a drunken Emily's.

"NO! When I win, you will do one thing for me." The pro gamer declared.

"A bet huh? And when I win?" he asked casually, clearly not too worried about the situation.

That just seemed to irk his friend even more.

"IF! Then… Hm... Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked after calming down slightly.

The quick change in her demeanor and complete 180 in conversation topic made Brian pause before responding.

"Nope. Never had the chance to have one." His response was lax and, to her, seemed a little to honest for her liking.

"What? Why?"

"Eh… First month of high school, some girl didn't like the fact I didn't accept her advances and turned her down due to my family's financial issues."

"Who?!" She seemed to take offence to his plight.

"Mm… something Delmas I think? Didn't really care after she told everyone I cheated on her."

That got a much angrier reaction out of the MEKA pilot. "What?! How dare she do tha-"

"Your attempt to change topics has been noted." Brian said, clearly not completely comfortable continuing that path.

"I-I was not trying to change the topic from – " a bang rang out from the screen as D. Va's screen went red with the word HEADSHOT painted in blood running across it after the announcer yelled the same word. "Y…Your reward…" she finished, blushing like crazy.

He just laughed off her sudden awkward behavior and stood up.

"I figure your feet are cold too. I'm gonna go grab you a pair of socks so you don't freeze your toes off when we head back over to Em's later."

His only response as he left the room and headed upstairs was a muffled 'Okay' from Hana. He walked up the single flight of stairs and reached a single door on the left.

The door was labeled with a blue nameplate reading Brian, with a yellow one not far below that said 'NOT. TIMMY.'

The room was very plain. A desk with his laptop on it, a few mechanical parts strewn across the floor that he was using for various projects and a bed that was nicely made against the far wall that had a large window.

Stepping over the multitude of parts on his floor, he made his way to the closet and opened a drawer that was full of socks and underwear.

Shifting through the clothing, he grabbed a pair of socks and rolled his eyes.

"Of course. D. Va socks…" he clenched them in his hands, but shivered as he felt the cool breeze of outside hit his back.

"Man, I really need to remember to… close… the… window…" he finished with wide eyes as he froze.

A voice that he hoped to avoid hearing again spoke up from behind him.

"Don't. Move."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a fully armed Widowmaker lounging on his bed and watching him like a hawk. She stood up and slowly made her way towards him.

"You lasted a while, leetle piggy. But that ends now." Her hand roughly clamped down on his left shoulder as she gave him a blank look and pulled out one of her infamous poison mines.

Brian, despite freaking out at being caught off-guard like this, quickly rolled up one of his sleeves and pulled down some type of device from them, attaching them to his wrists and running wires across each. To the assassin it appeared he was just nervously rubbing his arm.

"Any last words before I shove zis mine down your gullet?"

"Just one… is that suit insulated?"

Her glare melted and she just looked down at the fidgeting boy confused.

"Umm… Yes? Cold, 'eat, electric?"

Her detailed response caused the teen to sigh and mumble out a quiet 'of course'.

The spider-themed villain was unprepared for the child in her grasp to shrug off her grip and turn on her. His arm outstretched towards her arm that, in shock, recoiled and as she dropped her mine harmlessly to the floor.

His target now out of reach, his momentum carried forth until his hand grasped onto the next area of exposed flesh… the inner curve of her right breast.

The duo sat there, both in shock of what had just transpired. After it finally sank in, Widow blankly stared at Brian, who at this point was redder than a tomato.

"… Truly you 'ave no shame."

"O-oh shut up… I was aiming for your arm…"

With their thoughts exchanged, the gauntlet on Brian's left arm fired up and a powerful electric shock rippled from his hand and into the exposed skin of his would-be assassin.

A loud crack echoed through the room as the watts shocked their target into submission, soon dying out to leave a slightly smoking and very dazed killer.

Brian, still blushing just looked at the glossy eyes of his attacker before nervously laughing.

"Doomfists are… left handed." With that said, he removed his hand and allowed gravity to take his opponent down towards his bed, where she landed with a thud.

"Right… uh. Just get some sleep there."

Quickly he detached his makeshift tasers and rolled his sleeves back down to cover them, before walking out his door. Socks completely forgotten.

Before he could even release a sigh of relief, Hana approached from the stairs.

"Is everything okay?"

"D. Va! Don't go in there. There is a huge spider!" He exclaimed as he tried to block the door from his very confused friend.

"You are scared of spiders?"

To that he just shuffled in place a little.

"Eh… Spiders? No. Their collapsible long-range, scoped brain-liquefiers… Just a little." He said making a motion meaning a little bit with his fingers. Something that Hana had to admit, looked way to adorable.

With slouched shoulders, he motioned to the stairs again. "So… change of plans. Want to go to the arcade?"

"Er, sure. Why?"

Their conversation was stopped as a groan came from behind his door.

"BOI!"

"Off we go!" Brian yelled as he forcefully shoved Hana out of his house and quickly back over to Emily's place.

The pair probably set a land speed record in the time they took to enter Hana's place of residence for the time being. She separated from her friend and made her way into the guest room to change.

What she heard happening on her bed however forced her to move faster, throwing her current outfit into the closet and quickly pulling on a long-sleeved, crop top and thicker shorts.

Brian, who was waiting against the wall, heard the door open and looked her way, only to see her stare directly ahead with the biggest blush he had ever seen adorn her face.

"D.V-" "Ahhhh!"

"That's my room…"

Getting the hint and knowing from listening to Emily's drunken stories, he allowed silence to consume their walk for a few moments before he turned back to his companion with a questioning look.

"Wait, hold on. Where's my jacket?" he asks, referring to the jacket she had previously been wearing.

A much lighter blush and a big grin appeared on her face as she looked right back into his eyes.

"I took it as payment~!" she said in her teasing, sing-song voice that had garnered notoriety around her fanbase.

"Payment for what…?"

His question was not answered throughout their entire excursion to the arcade. Nothing interesting took place while they were out, other than Brian finding out that D. Va was apparently awful at fighting games, at least awful by her standards.

The duo did run into a few of Brian's friends and fellow classmates from school, who were subsequently shocked that he was friends with an internet star, but didn't bother them much after that.

As they were walking home, D. Va began contemplating their time together and shrugged.

"Well, I am glad you aren't as friendless as you made it seem earlier… even if most of them were girls…" she stewed.

He grinned at her reaction.

"I'm happy that you care! BUT." He said loudly before dread filled his expression and he brought Hana extremely close to his body.

His arm wrapped around her midsection as he looked back and forth.

Her eyes stared down at him, face beet red and trying to ignore the cute gasp she let out when he grabbed her. What was his plan?!

He leaned in even closer, making her tenser, expecting something intimate to happen. When in fact…

"Seriously. What was that bet? Why are you so nervous?! What torture was I going to suffer if you beat me?" he asked.

The baffled and nervous expression D. Va held was replaced by a smirk as she returned his embrace. She was much more comfortable in the teasing role.

"Oh nothing~ I was just going to make you take me out. But considering what we just did…" she trailed off into a smile as Brian tensed in the embrace.

After a few tense minutes of standing extremely close to each other, Brian finally broke the hold and opened the door to his neighbor's home.

"Well that was fun. Especially since that was technically my first time taking a girl out." He said, avoiding eye contact with the superstar and looking around the home.

"Yea- wait? First… go out?" the revelation that she was his first, albeit casual, date made her brain short circuit.

"Anyway- Hey Em! You decent? I brought your new victim back!"

His voice carried throughout the house as he, and the mentally compromised gamer, entered the living room.

"Oh, hey you two!" a grinning Emily greeted as she stood from her chair and walked over to them.

Her hair was messy, the green blouse she usually wore was only covering her left shoulder and, much to Brian's embarrassment, she was not wearing any pants.

"I brought Hana back and wanted to ask if you still wanted to run tomorrow. And please put some pants on… you have company after all."

A smirk graced the clearly tired face of his childhood friend, and before he could back away from her, she threw her arm around his shoulder and brought him into a one-armed hug.

"Awww, does little Brian not like what he sees~" she teased, drawing his head between her shoulder and chest.

"Just answer the question!" the trapped teen demanded, looking to either of the other occupants in the room for help out of his current situation.

The first option, Hana, was slowly recovering from her mental overload so she was of no help. The second was even less likely as she was just grinning cheekily at his predicament and giggling to herself.

He glared at the giggling hero and turned his attention back to the shit-eating grin on his former babysitter's face.

"Never skip leg day! So yes, I will meet you outside at 6." She declared. Lifting her arm and pointing at him for some sort of heightened effect.

Once she lifted her arm, his nose recoiled in dismay.

"Ugh, or bathing. You reek of sex." He said, slipping out of her slackened grip and waving a hand in front of his face.

"Hey, I took a bath! …How do you know what sex sme-"

Her question was cut off by a hand shoving her midback towards her room.

"Not important. Bath, without your girlfriend, this time." He pushed the older woman down the hall.

"Fiiiiiiine." Emily grumbled as she closed the door behind her.

Brian walked back into the living room and pointed directly at the mascot hero of Overwatch.

"You. Wait your turn."

The Brit saluted him and nodded. "Yessir!"

The room fell into dead silence after that. The trio standing around and not looking at each other.

That is, until Tracer smirked towards the shorter boy and D. Va raised an eyebrow at him.

How do you know what sex-" they both asked, but were silenced as Brian stormed towards the door with a crimson face.

"SEE YOU LATER." The door slammed shut behind him.

Hands in his pocket, Brian trudged the short distance from Em's to his home.

* * *

 **A/N: As this chapter ends, we move into uncharted territories. That's right. We have officially passed the original source in content. The next chapter will be almost, if not wholly, original ideas throughout.**

 **I am a little scared to move on without a solid guide for the direction of the narrative, but I also have faith that this story will only get better from here! That being said, I would really like all of you reading to review this chapter with your thoughts and ideas on what I should do in future installments. I might not use them all, but I do enjoy reading and responding to them.**

 _ **Next Chapter: August 14, 2017**_


	5. Sibling Bonding

**I know this is a week late. The reason and other news will be in the after chapter A/N.**

* * *

It was early in the morning when Brian woke up in his nice, warm bed. Despite the events of yesterday still prevalent in his mind, he was just really happy he was able to get some sleep without being bothered by the neighborhood assassin.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he got out from under his messily tossed blanket and began his morning routine.

First, he walked into the bathroom, brushing his teeth and combing his hair. Followed by grabbing an old orange sweatshirt and sweats to throw on.

With his clothes taken care of he tied a pair of running shoes and jogged out the door.

Being the only person home meant he didn't need to quietly walk down the stairs as he normally would, instead he rushed down them and through the front door, locking it behind him.

He evened out his pace, jogging the remaining distance to the house to his left.

"For a minute, I thought you weren't coming~" teased Emily, putting a hand on her hips.

She was wearing a yellow hoodie and some type of tights, clearly ready for this occasion.

"You wish, like I could let a defenseless woman clearly suffering from a hangover run by herself." Brian, clearly unperturbed by the ceremonial teasing fired back.

"OH? Defenseless, am I? Come here shorty!" the redhead cried as she lunged for the boy.

Snickering, the brunette ducked under his childhood friend's assault and took off running down the street.

A cry of 'Get back here!' made him turn his head around to see a fuming neighbor chasing him.

He just kept up his pace and laughed at the colorful flurry of insults and threats being hurled at him by his pursuer. At the end of the current street he took a left and continued running.

At this point, Emily had given up her furious use of words and focused on catching her prey. Despite not being in the best shape, she did hold one advantage in this game that the pair was playing.

Her height.

Now this did not refer to just her being taller than the younger runner, no, this particular advantage came from her long legs.

They were now racing on a completely flat surface and in a straight line. She took this opportunity to pick up the pace and start to gain on her former, though that was up for debate, ward.

Brian took notice of his advancing predator and tried to shake her by increasing his own pace, but even with that he was still losing ground.

A smirk played across Emily's lips as she saw Brian turn down another street and start to head towards what he assumed was home-base. Her plan was coming into fruition better than she could ever have hoped.

Far too late for his own good, the teen realized his mistake of running onto a downhill street. With his remaining energy, he pushed himself to go faster, to avoid what he knew would happen should he fail.

Emily smelled blood in the water and did the same. Her mind alight with ideas of how to play with her soon-to-be catch as she closed in.

Almost exactly as Brian turned the closest corner to his home street, he was tackled from behind, but instead of being shoved to the ground he was lifted effortlessly into the air.

Looking down, his gaze narrowed as his captor adjusted his smaller body onto her shoulder and slowed down her brisk run into a very pleased, almost skipping, jog. The smirk on her face showed just how pleased his friend was with the current situation.

"Oh, dearest little Brian. Did you really think you could escape from your loving neighbor?" she sang as the pair approached the end to their normal run.

"Yes! And if I didn't screw up and go downhill you would have never caught me. Now put me down Em!" he demanded as she carried him up the short steps and onto the porch.

She ignored his squirming and opened the front door. Once inside she carried her prisoner into the living room, where a pair of eyes widened upon seeing Brian's predicament.

"Uhh… you mind explaining how this happened luv'?" Lena questioned, gesturing to the now blushing form of Brian and the still smirking Emily.

"Little Brian here thought he could tease and run. I proved him wrong and now I have my prize. An adorable little trophy who will be making us breakfast to repay his wrongdoings. Isn't that right B?" she asked the sulking teen she was holding like a sack of potatoes.

"…fine. Just let me down. And I call shower after you are done." He said. Trying to avoid eye contact with her.

Her smirk seemed to double in size as she winked at Lena.

"Oh, but Brian, I was going to suggest that we save time and just shower together. I haven't had the opportunity to wash your back since you were a little kid… well a littler kid." Her voice cooed in a sickeningly sweet tone as she set the crimson boy down.

Tracer was losing it at this point, she was doubled over on the carpet and holding her stomach.

Brian just glared at the grinning girl who just laughed and pinched his cheek.

"Too easy sometimes Bry. I'm going to shower. I still have some spare clothes from when you bunked here last time. I will set them out." With one more tug of his face and a wink she walked out of the room.

"Oh! Pancake mix is in the bottom cabinet!" she yelled as an afterthought from the hallway.

Moments later Brian was in the kitchen, cooking away on a large stack of pancakes while Lena happily whistled a tune sitting at the bar.

"So how long hav' ya known Em, Brian?" the British hero piped up from her seat, catching the attention of the impromptu chef.

Looking over his shoulder, he addressed her.

"I actually can't remember not knowing her to be honest… her parents were close with mine when they were around so she was always over at our place. Seeing that she is a good seven years older than me, she was always the one to take care of me when anything happened."

He flipped one of the flapjacks before continuing.

"She was the big sister that I never wanted, Timmy always just called her sis, but even with me Em always wanted siblings so she just clung on and never let go. When I was around six it was annoying. Always having a girl so much older than me always watching me or bringing me to hang out with her friends… but over time I grew to feel the same I guess."

He turned his attention back to the skillet and added some bacon to the smorgasbord. Lena meanwhile just smiled with a wistful look and smile on her face.

"I never had siblings growing up. My parents only wanted one kid and I was enough for them. Not saying I resent them for it, but I do wish I had a little brotha or sista to play with or tease."

She let out a surprised gasp when a pair of arms encircled her stomach and a face nestled into her neck.

"We can always share babe." Emily said, wearing a loose fitting green shirt and jeans while her hair was still rather wet. "You know what's mine is yours and vice-versa. That means family too."

Brian just scoffed and walked over to the pair, setting two plates of pancakes and bacon down in front of them before pointing Lena.

"Does that mean I have to deal with her being clingy, overprotective and always around too?" he asks clearly not opposed to the idea, but playing his part.

His answer was a zipping noise and a tackle-hug curtesy of the sobbing hero. She was holding him closely and crying, but she had a big smile on her face.

Brian, not feeling very comfortable as the older girl cried into his shoulder just held her and patted her back, looking to Emily for help. Help that would not come, as she just stood back with a fond smile, watching the event.

"Umm… there, there. Everything is okay Lena." He says awkwardly trying to soothe the woman in his arms.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! Sorry for the late post, but I basically scrapped the nearly 5,000 word chapter I had prepared for this week due to how I felt about the final product. Instead I decided to write a much more contained story that focused on the relationships Brian has and is making over the Winter break.  
**

 **The reason that there was no update last week, those of who follow me on DA or Twitter already know but, I was in San Antonio on vacation with my family. I attempted to write while there, but ended up failing at that so instead I was going to give you all another longer chapter this week... which failed due to my inability to write a coherent plot for this story as of yet.**

 **That falls on me, but I think I enjoy making these chapters short and sweet rather than long and bloated with details that might not carry over. This is supposed to be more of a Slice-of-Life story, not a grand action-adventure with a complicated plot. Don't get me wrong, the action is coming in the next chapter, but I think 1,500 - 3,000 words per update is what I am sticking with for now.**

 **I do plan on posting other stories, likely one-shots that I think of, here soon so please lookout for those. And if you want to vote on what content I will post, go to my DeviantArt page and vote!**

 _ **Next Chapter: 8/28/17**_


	6. Widow's Bite

**A/N at the end will talk about some cool stuff coming up! And I would really appreciate any review you lads could leave so I can improve the story in ways that you all would like!**

* * *

Sound… sound was the first thing he noticed when he woke up on a cold hard surface in a dark room.

It wasn't a small room, but for some reason it felt much smaller than it actually was.

Brian felt a throbbing sensation on the back of his skull, grunting as he touched the sensitive spot, feeling a lump that formed after… whatever happened.

Sitting up on what turned out to be an old medical stretcher, he squinted and looked around the room.

There was nothing on the walls and no defining features or furniture anywhere in the room, barring the stretcher he was currently on.

"How did I even get here? Last thing I remember I was watching a movie with Lena…" the teen said, rubbing his aching head and trying to recall what events led up to this.

 **Several Hours Earlier**

"Oh that endin' was terrible! I can't believe they jus' keeled 'em off like that!" Lena pouted as the pair exited the local theatre and began making their way back to Emily's house.

As the winter break that all of them were enjoying slowly winded down, Emily decided it was a perfect opportunity to take Hana out to a famous mall on the outskirts of town for some shopping and sightseeing.

Instead of going with them, Lena blinked next door and grabbed a groggy Brian, dragging the unprepared boy from his doorway. All the while, declaring it was her turn for some sibling bonding while the others were busy.

He would have spoken out against her, but she was already holding onto him, so he just shrugged and let himself be dragged off to the movies.

"It was a prequel Trace. They had to kill the characters to keep the continuity in order… no matter how screwy it might actually be. "

The speedy hero just huffed and threw her arm around her companion's shoulder in response.

"You're a smartass lil' Bry. It'll comeback ta' bite ya before long." She teased, albeit good-naturedly.

Their casual conversation and comfortable aura was cut short when a strange noise sounded out around them.

Neither of them could react in time as a familiar metal chord wrapped around Brian's midsection and roughly yanked backwards and out of Tracer's grip.

Once Lena got her wits about her she called out after him and blinked rapidly towards him, her hand just missing his as the momentum carried him away.

As his position rapidly shifted from one side of the street to the other, the situation became far too familiar. He went from the comforting and friendly position he was in with his new pseudo-sister, to the unfortunately familiar and constrictive arms of a world-class assassin.

"You are right… it 'vill come back to bite him. But that bite might not be as tame as 'vhat you 'vhere planning hero." The French accented woman declared as she stared down both the hero standing across the street and the prey in her arms.

"Let him go Widow!" the now enraged agent yelled as she flashed forward to engage her foe.

The teen in the soon-to-be crossfire was tossed aside by the sniper, unable to move properly move due to the wire around his torso.

From his new outlook on the ground, he saw the usually cheerful he was hanging out with start firing her pulse pistols on his continued attacker.

Widowmaker was keeping Lena at a distance with quick shots as she predicted each of the jumps the former pilot was making. It was obvious she was zoning her out to keep herself at prime-sniper range.

Another issue, she was also blocking any escape route for him too. She must have realized after their last encounter that he was much more competent than she was prepared for.

Now she was prepared for him, not only blocking his escape, but also nullifying any chance of Tracer just grabbing him and running.

And, with growing certainty, the fight was turning in the sniper's favor.

The constant flashes all over the makeshift battlefield, that signaled the time-hopping hero was using her signature ability, were slowing down as her Chronal Accelerator began to run out of juice.

She was still keeping up, but one mistake would seal it.

.. a mistake that happened as she retreated away from a thrown poison-mine and ended up being hit directly in the left shoulder by a well-placed bullet.

The shot knocked the Brit to the ground, bleeding from the new wound.

"No you don't!"

With what little mobility he did have, Brian kicked his legs out and tripped up the smirking sniper as she prepared to finish her fight.

The blue-skinned woman caught herself midfall, turning and glaring at the hampered boy that was trying to get out of his bindings.

He didn't get anywhere close as the cold steel of the assassin's rifle found itself held against his forehead.

"Little boi. You are quite lucky I have been tasked with something beyond just your execution… otherwise…" she let the statement hang as the pressure she was putting on the gun increased and pressed into him harder.

"What do you mean?" he asked, mouth slightly dry as he was facing what could be his death.

A dark chuckle was his only response as she removed the barrel of the gun and yanked him back into her arms, carrying him as if he were a sack of potatoes.

She walked slowly over to the downed hero and stood above her. Brian began to try and kick her, but she expertly held off his attempts.

Tracer weakly glared up at the villain through her goggles, trying to ignore the pain in order to look strong. Her glare softened as she saw the struggling bundle over her shoulder.

"You are very lucky. My job 'vas only to bring 'ze boi 'vith me. Remember that if it 'vasn't for the boi… you would be dead." She was so busy giving her monologue that she didn't deflect the kick coming from her captive.

She stumbled, but recovered enough to flip the boy over her shoulder and into her grip.

"Night night brat." She taunted before smashing her rifle into the back of his head, causing him to fall slack into her hold as Tracer yelled his name.

 **Present Time**

"Ugh… stupid assassins. Why did that have to happen. I really hope Lena is okay…" he said solemnly, shutting in on himself.

A booming laugh echoed throughout the room, causing Brian to jump up and take a fighting stance, even though he winced upon the fast movement.

"Do not worry boy. The goggled girl is fine. I told Widowmaker to bring you here with no damage or conflict, but she didn't do a very good job of that." Said the deep voice as a figure stepped through the large doorway.

He was a tall man with dark skin. He was wearing a golden vest with nothing underneath, tan pants and gold bracelets all over both wrists.

"… hi Uncle Aka…" Brian said timidly as the larger man walked forward.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I really hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Even with the shorter chapters I think it is coming together pretty well.**

 **Obviously this story is still going to be updated on Monday's as long as I can manage it with my increasing workload as school starts up this week, journalism major means a lot of late night writing that takes up a lot of time, so the goal still remains once a week!**

 **BUT! I do have plans to start throwing out one-shot stories every once-in-awhile about whatever I feel like writing about. That, right now is RWBY, so be prepared for a one-shot in that vein coming sometime in September if things work out.**

 **As always, please review! I love reading you comments and improving the story based on that!**

 _ **\- Next Chapter: 9/4/27 -**_


	7. Family Moments

**A/N at the end!**

* * *

There was a moment of thick tension as the current Doomfist crossed the room.

The hostile environment that permeated the room amped up the uncomfortable atmosphere. But, all of that tension was blown away as the large man let loose a booming laugh and slapped Brian across the back, making the much smaller boy nearly fall over.

"I can't believe my little nephew pulled one over on the Widowmaker, not once, but multiple times. Brought a prideful tear to my eye when she was ranting about it."

The loud African man wiped a false tear from his eye while chuckling.

"She was very angry with you when I found her in your home. You have great taste in women, but that one might be more trouble than she's worth."

This statement caused the boy to flush and begin stammering.

"I was aiming for her arm!" he called out as he chased the laughing form of Akande out of the room.

Walking through the halls of the obviously active Talon base was a boring affair. The walls were bare and grey, all other doors were locked and the only other people in the vicinity were armored Talon soldiers who quickly moved out the duo's way.

After several minutes of walking, they arrived in a small room with a table and cooler.

Akande motioned for Brian to sit, himself walking over to the cooler. He withdrew a beer for himself and a grape soda for Brian before sitting down and resting his arms on the table.

"Judging by how angry Widow was when she brought you in, I assume you have been keeping up with your training?" the fighter asked as he took a deep sip from his drink.

Brian just nodded and focused on his own drink.

"I used my gauntlet's taser to get away from her the other night and stopped her from hurting Tracer any further while she was fighting us…"

The Talon operative snapped his fingers.

"That was another thing I was curious about. From what Widow reported, you are awfully close with a pair of active Overwatch agents. How did that happen?"

Even if his uncle was an active Talon operative, he didn't sound displeased. Just genuinely curious.

"Well D. Va is an old friend of mine from when I used to play video games online. She just came along when Tracer came to visit Emily over the break."

That got a raised brow from the advanced martial-artist.

"Emily? As in your old babysitter Emily?" he received a nod in response. "Why would Emily have any ties to those heroes? Considering she all but adopted you when she was younger and vice-versa with your mother, she would be more in line hanging out with some of my operatives."

The teen had no argument to that logic, based on his family's history.

"I don't know how, but she has been dating Tracer for almost five years. This is just the first time she has been able to come out for a visit and meet the family in our case."

Another laugh.

"You have a very strange adoptive family child. A protective older sister and her girlfriend who is a world-renowned super hero."

"I know! It's like Em has doubled her concerns now that Lena is around because she just throws caution to the wind. I already tried to escape them, but Em just chased me down and dragged me back home."

The joke hit its mark and both occupants of the small room burst into laughter.

"That does sound like her. Speaking of which, as much as I would love to talk more, I should probably get you home so she can pull the mama-bear routine on you."

With his piece said, he stood and led the younger man out of the room and into a large garage. In said garage, an unmarked, black van sat, already running.

Brian didn't need a prompt from his uncle to step into the vehicle.

"I will drop you off at home kid. I left a present on your bed when I dropped by and kicked Widow out after her nap. She shouldn't cause you much trouble anymore… probably."

The van continued on, out from the base and into the bustling city.

"Good. Hopefully I won't run into her again anytime soon outside of the neighborhood."

It didn't take long for them to reach the quiet urban area of town… which was a little concerning to Brian as he realized that there was an active base for international terrorists just 10 minutes away from his home.

Pulling to a stop, Akande stuck a fist over ruffled his hair.

"Try to stay out of trouble little Brian. Your circle of friends is being filled with very influential people." The large man spoke with clear fondness clear in his voice.

"I'll try Uncle Aka… try not to get arrested again old man." Brian teased back as he got out and watched the van drive away.

Smiling, the teen turned to head into his home. That is until he heard the click of a door and saw the wide eyes of Emily peering out from her porch.

"Uh… he Em?" he said carefully as the redhead slowly walked towards him.

Once she was close enough, Emily wrapped him in her arms and pulled him close.

"… you're real." Her voice echoed, barely a whisper as her body started to tremble.

He felt a slight dampness in his hair, as she nestled her face into his head. Not knowing what to do, he just wrapped his arm around her to try and provide what comfort he could.

"What's wrong sis?" he asked, not fully understanding where this emotional outburst came from.

She jerked back, putting just enough distance between them so that her puffy eyes, which showed that this was not her only time spent crying today, could lock onto his very confused ones.

"Brian. You have been gone for a week! The police found Lena, unconscious with a bullet in her shoulder! Some of her Overwatch friends came and took her and Hana back to their base because they were scared someone would come to attack them."

She took a deep breath and tightened her grip.

"Lena woke up after surgery and started panicking because Widowmaker kidnapped you! We didn't know where you were or what she was going to do to you… I was so worried." She said pulling him back against her and sobbing while Brian's mind went into overdrive.

He was out for a week? How badly did Widow hit him if he took six days to wake up?

Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he turned his attention to the sobbing woman in his arms.

"It's okay Em…" he said rubbing her back. "Lena is okay and I'm back. We are all safe. Let's just go inside relax, okay?"

He could feel her nod against his head, so he carefully let her lead him inside and to the couch.

They didn't say anything else to each other, but just like she was there for him when his step-father left years ago, he was here for her now.

The night stretched on into the early morning and saw the two-fall asleep on the couch. Both were in in very uncomfortable positions, sprawled out over each other, but they were too tired both physically and emotionally to care.

They slept through the morning, blissfully unaware of the changes being made to their once normal lives.

* * *

 **A/N: As always, here is your Monday update for House Spider. We are slowly getting to see more of Brian's past, and the plot is shaping up in my head... kind of.**

 **The goal now, since this chapter was finished on Wednesday of last week, is to have chapters done a week in advance so I can stress less about writing them on the weekends and if I do have some sort of issue I can still update.**

 **I would really like to see what you all think about where this story is going and how I could potentially improve it, so please leave a review so we can talk about it. I do read and respond to every review, unless you are a guest because I can't in that scenario.**

 _ **Next Chapter: 9/11/17**_


	8. Oh Bother

**Welcome to the final chapter for the first arc of House Spider! Stick around at the end for important info regarding this fic in the A/N!**

* * *

There was one thing Brian was dreading as the break finally came to a close.

You might be asking, what could possibly worry him after he has been through so much?

Was it Widowmaker? No, he hasn't seen or heard from her since the kidnapping incident happened.

Was it Emily? Not really. Even though she had become a little clingier since Lena left and he came back from the Talon base, but that wasn't that bad.

No, he was worried about the inevitable return to school.

Brian was smart, classes were easy for him and teachers generally liked him.

The problem lied in his fellow students.

None of Brian's friends were from school. In fact, most of them were like Hana, meaning he met them online and rarely, if ever, saw them in person.

The others were friends he met through Emily during her time at the local college, so they could almost 10 years older than him.

He never thought about it much, but the kids around school thought it was a little strange. That didn't mean he was bullied, the attempts to bully him stopped after those that tried met with a cruel fate from Brian's fists or an overprotective redhead.

It did end with him being somewhat of a social outcast. He spent lunches alone and was completely fine with that. School was boring to him, and nothing would change that.

… or so he thought.

It had been three months since the wild events of winter break had been forced into the rearview by his final semester of school before he was free to decide his future.

He expected the final months of high school to be a slow and boring experience.

"Brian, I know you have a good grade in the class, but please pay attention regardless," the aged voice of his English teacher broke him out of his musings.

Thee teens eyes raised from his notebook, slowly closing the cover over some detailed sketches.

"Of course, ma'am," he spoke over the laughing class.

The somewhat mocking laughter was cut off by the class bell, which signified the start of lunch period.

No one paid attention to what their teacher was saying as they packed up and headed to the cafeteria like normal.

Or at least it was normal, until one person's shout turned the entire corridor into a warzone.

"Guys! There are Overwatch agents in the main hall! They said they were looking for someone!"

A few sentences sent the student body into a frenzy, as they started to stampede towards the main hall.

The same words made Brian's blood run cold while trying to escape the wave of people.

'What could they possibly be here for?' his brain raced for an answer.

He finally broke off from the large group, catching a glimpse of an armored body being surrounded by his classmates.

'They couldn't be here unless something big is going down… Are they looking for a sleeper agent? Or are they looking for my uncle?' the thoughts wouldn't stop as he quietly made his way into the deserted library.

He made his way to the back corner of the learning center, leaning back into a chair and relaxing.

'No use worrying about it… I'll just let them fins their person and then go back to protecting the world.' His mind rationalized his thoughts as he balanced in the chair.

"Whatcha' looking at luv?" a familiar voiced asked from beside him, causing a chain reaction.

His eyes widened and he let loose a girlish shriek, causing him to lose his balance and crash into the ground.

Groaning, he cracked open one of his eyes and caught a glimpse of an orange jumpsuit. Letting his gaze roam upwards, he met the smirking face of Lena Oxton.

"You know… this is the first time I've actually seen you in uniform since the museum," he quipped, eliciting a giggle from the woman.

"Well it probably won't be tha' last either," she said, extending a hand out to the downed teen.

Accepting the hand, he allows her to help him to his feet, and kinda just accepted the further movement that brought him into a tight embrace.

The hug was tight, but he knew it was mostly just her confirming to herself he was there.

"I'm so glad you're okay…" her voice was quiet and full of relief.

"I told you I was the last time you called Lena. You got the worst of the exchange…"

"I know, but ya' can't blame me for bein' worried 'bout ya'. I've never had a lil' brotha' till now. Gotta keep my eyes on ya'!" a groan was her only response as she let his head rest against her shoulder.

"You sound just like Em…" he said as they both shared a brief laugh.

After a moment, they separated from the embrace.

"So, do I need to guess why you and your entourage are here or should I just prepare to finish my social life's coffin?" he snarked and was met with a simple grin and eyeroll.

"Oh, come on, it won't be that bad!" she grabs his hand and drags him out of the safe area.

She was proven wrong almost immediately as the pair was given a wide berth, but the sound of phone cameras snapping pictures as they went by was obvious.

Muffled whispers were hard for him to hear as he was dragged behind the hero, but he knew what they were saying. Or at least some of it.

They made it down the main stairs before another voice broke the seemingly universal silence.

"Ah! So zhis is the boy you spoke of Lena? I am glad you found him while I entertained the other students!" the booming voice of the legendary German crusader carried out, causing Brian to wince as his coffin was nailed shut.

"Yup! This is Emily's lul' brotha. Brian, I think you already know who this is, but in case you don't… Reinhardt meet Brian. Lil Bry this is Reinhardt," the Brit declared while waving her arms around.

"Always a pleasure to meet the family of my friends! I am sure we vhill get along splendidly!" the large mad bellowed as he swept the boy into a hug that would make any bear jealous.

Brian felt his back pop in the embrace.

"Nice to meet you too sir…" he croaked out with what little breath he had left.

After being released from the crusader's grip, he dusted himself off and gazed at the famous duo.

"So why exactly are you two at my school? I don't think Talon is interested in attacking the school," he asked the question that was on everyone else's minds.

His only response was another boisterous laugh.

"Right you are young Brian! We don't believe they would attack the school, but rather one student in particular."

He turned his flat stare from the giant to the more familiar of the two.

"You think they are after me? I haven't seen or heard from Widow since the incident over break."

A sad smile appeared on the time-hopper's lips.

"We found out she's been keeping tabs on you. We have the files now, but it is still worrisome."

"But why does that require this little visit?" he asked, gesturing to all of the students watching the exchange. The whole thing was punctuated by a light glare at the Overwatch poster girl.

She chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.

"That answers not so easy… but you'll probably have an idea…" she mumbled as she turned around and walked outside of the school, followed closely by the larger hero.

With a wary look, he followed the two outside, which in turn started a transition for the crowd as they too followed.

What Brian saw outside made him give the hero next to him a deadpan look.

"Not happening Lena. I have school today."

An arm found its way around his shoulders as she reeled him in.

"Come on luv'! It'll be like a sleepover and a field trip all rolled into one! Angela is already inside waiting to meet'cha!"

The inside she was referring to was the interior of a military grade dropship that was used to transport soldiers, supplies and apparently Overwatch agents long distances. One of which was currently sitting in the school parking lot.

"I have no idea who that is, and I don't want to skip class…"

Okay, that last part was a lie and everyone present knew it.

"Too bad! Em said I could take you with us already. That's all the permission I need!" she said, dragging the slightly miffed teenager towards the ship.

"She said you could kidnap me from school?" he pointedly asked, noting how she tensed, but kept walking.

"No… but what she doesn't know won't hurt her, and won't get me shoved in the dog house!"

That got a sigh from her captive and a laugh from her companion.

"That's the spirit Lena! Let us take out friend and introduce him to Angela!" Reinhardt proclaimed as the duo turned trio entered the open hatch of the dropship. Completely ignoring the students and teachers freaking out in their wake.

The mechanical pull-door closed behind them with a hiss once they were inside. A small lurch later and the newly formed group were airborne.

Reinhardt removed his helmet and made his way towards, what Brian assumed was the cockpit, leaving Brian and Tracer alone.

"So…" Brian said awkwardly as he looked around the main portion of the ship, questioning why some of the objects were included in the design. A basketball goal? Seriously?

A happy giggle loosed as Lena blinked beside him and took her favorite position, with one arm slung over the smaller boy's shoulders.

"It wasn't that bad Bry. Em told me how much you hate high school anyways, that's why I came when I did."

The boy flushed and looked away.

"I don't hate it… I just think it's boring and all the other students aren't people I can get along with…"

A flick on the nose met his explanation. He immediately grabbed the affected area and looked at his attacker.

"Don't get so down on yerself luv! Kids your age just don't get ya' like I do. Maybe your just made to hang out with older people," she stroked her chin. "Makes a lot more sense like that 'cause you and Hana get along so well. Just ignore them and focus on who you have."

He poked her cheek.

"And what if I don't want to hang out with you? Don't I get a say in this?"

If possible, she drew him in even closer with a tightened grip, getting a gulp out of him.

"Nope! You don't pick your family luv', family chooses you. And trust me, you've just been adopted into the biggest and strangest extended family on the planet!"

Not only did she laugh, but another, more contained laugh came from behind them.

Turning his head what little bit he could in his position, he saw a blonde-haired woman in a strange outfit that stood behind them, covering her mouth while giggling. Her eyes were filled with amusement.

"What does that make me then Lena? Did I just become and older sister? An aunt perhaps?" she had a strong accent, but her words still were very easy to understand and could not disguise the pleasure this conversation was bringing her, if the smile on her face was to be believed.

A matching smile was on Lena's face.

"I don't know Angie. You're more of the mom for the group. What do you think Bry?"

Both woman turned their mirth filled gazes on the teen squirming in Lena's grip.

"I don't even know her!" he exclaimed, hoping to end their teasing.

More giggling.

"Mom it is then. Brian this is Angela, head medic for Overwatch. Angela, this is Brian, Em's little brotha' and your new son!"

The pair shared another laugh at his expense, but the introductions were at least out of the way. Seeing that, Angela pushed her hand out towards him, which he took, although avoiding the woman's eyes.

"Teasing aside, it is very nice to meet you Brian. Lena has mentioned you quite a lot since her return from vacation."

This time it was the speedy hero's turn to flush as Brian smirked at her.

"C'mon Angie… I didn't talk about him that much…" she defended.

A light scoff and smirk from the older woman shut that down.

"Between you and Hana I feel that Brian and I are already well acquainted. Now with that said, we should be in the air for a few hours yet."

That got the teens attention back on the medic.

"Wait… where are we going?"

Both women turned to him, one with a soft smile that seemed to be welcoming him, the other wide and hyperactive.

"Yer comin' to our home! Overwatch's HQ, Watchpoint: Gibraltar!"

* * *

 **A/N: A slightly longer chapter this week, even though I cut over 1,000 words from the original draft for quality's sake.**

 **I really like how this turned out and am ready to plot out the next arc's plot. However, that will take time.**

 **With how busy I am between writing weekly fics, articles for several sights and my school work, I have very little time to spend for myself in a relaxing sense.**

 **Thankfully I find writing fun and relaxing most of the time, but to give myself a break and make sure I don't get burned out, I am taking a small break from this fic for a few weeks.**

 **This is not a hiatus or anything that serious. I am merely taking the next few weeks to relax, spend more time on other projects and such. This will also give me ample time to map out a general idea for the next few chapters.**

 **I plan on updating my other story, In Which Jaune, several times throughout this break while I prepare for RWBY Volume 5 and play Zelda on my new Switch that I just splurged on.**

 **Who knows... there might be a new story written in that time. But no spoilers from me here!**

 **The misadventures of Brian will return in October.**

 **Thanks for reading and please comment with your critiques or questions!**

 **\- CP**

 _ **Next Chapter: 10/2/17**_


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